Nero's Golden House (Domus Aurea)
Dublin Core
Title
Nero's Golden House (Domus Aurea)
Description
Location: Rome
Date: 64-68 AD
Details: The Domus Aurea was a large park-and-residence palace built by the emperor Nero on the Oppian Hill. The building was constructed largely in the area destroyed in the "Great Fire" (AD 64), and included groves, vineyards, and an artificial lake. The buildings themselves were decked out in marble, jewels, and ivory, though the palace may have been called "Golden" because it was designed to let in maximum sunlight--which in turn would play off the shining marble and painted walls.
Nero was declared a public enemy and committed suicide in 68. In subsequent years, his successors covered over most of the palace grounds. Most notably, the emperor Vespasian drained the artificial lake to build Colosseum (which took its name from a Colossal statue of Nero on the grounds), while Trajan used many of the structures as foundations for his massive bath complex.
The palace was rediscovered in the 15th century, and many renaissance artists--including such luminaries as Raphael and Michelangelo--visited it to study the surviving paintings.
Date: 64-68 AD
Details: The Domus Aurea was a large park-and-residence palace built by the emperor Nero on the Oppian Hill. The building was constructed largely in the area destroyed in the "Great Fire" (AD 64), and included groves, vineyards, and an artificial lake. The buildings themselves were decked out in marble, jewels, and ivory, though the palace may have been called "Golden" because it was designed to let in maximum sunlight--which in turn would play off the shining marble and painted walls.
Nero was declared a public enemy and committed suicide in 68. In subsequent years, his successors covered over most of the palace grounds. Most notably, the emperor Vespasian drained the artificial lake to build Colosseum (which took its name from a Colossal statue of Nero on the grounds), while Trajan used many of the structures as foundations for his massive bath complex.
The palace was rediscovered in the 15th century, and many renaissance artists--including such luminaries as Raphael and Michelangelo--visited it to study the surviving paintings.
Creator
Photo by Gabriel Baker. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Collection
Citation
Photo by Gabriel Baker. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License., “Nero's Golden House (Domus Aurea),” Archaeology, Artifacts, & Landscapes, accessed May 3, 2024, https://gabrieldavidbaker.com/digital-exhibit/items/show/3.